A discussion is provided of the use of lasers as a powerful complement to their synchrotron-based counterparts as sources of high-energy photons for angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy in the direct study of electrons in solids. Topics covered are the photoelectric effect, laser sources, and probing superconductivity. Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, the most direct way to observe the quantum-mechanical structure of electronics and solids, is one of the key tools used to understanding complex electronic interactions that lead to high temperature superconductivity. Synchrotron sources are large multi-user facilities that cost about $100 million, and there are four in the U.S. However, ultraviolet lasers are emerging as an excellent source of photons and have advantages over synchrotron counterparts, particularly for some low-photon energy experiments. The development is also expected to widen the field for researchers who may not be able to have sufficient access to the limited quantity of available synchrotron time. The research group of Shik Shin at the University of Tokyo and at Riken in Japan has concentrated on achieving the highest energy resolution for conducting nonangle-resolved photoemission or density of states measurements. Researchers at the University of Colorado developed an angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy apparatus designed for high angular resolution when measuring very low energy electrons.